‘Beyond Shelter’ Group Helps Families to New Lives

As the founder and executive director of “Beyond Shelter,” a private, nonprofit organization incorporated in the State of California in 1988, I was more than a little disturbed at the Real Estate headline “Beyond Shelter--Hope” (Dec. 15) for an article on L.A. Family Housing (which I co-founded with Arnold Stalk in 1983). For the record, I would like to clarify the confusion caused for some of your readers, evidenced to me by numerous phone calls and comments.

Beyond Shelter is an innovative social service organization created to help homeless families with children relocate to permanent and affordable housing--and providing up to one year of “transitional” support services to help each formerly homeless family become stabilized in their new community.

Landlords and management companies throughout the Greater Los Angeles area have become supportive of the program, and case workers help each family as they strive to “move up the ladder.”

Thus far, over 250 formerly homeless families have found new housing and new lives with our support--with an 85% success rate. With Para Los Ninos, Beyond Shelter is participating nationally in a federal “demonstration project” for early intervention and prevention of homelessness.

Through an affiliate, Beyond Shelter Housing, we have also purchased and are currently renovating a 41-unit former slum building in the MacArthur Park area. We are also developing a 30-unit new construction project for low-income families in partnership with CASA (Church and Synagogue Associates).

L.A. Family Housing and Beyond Shelter both exemplify concern for the poor that has the end result of quality of life for everyone living here.

TANYA TULL

Los Angeles